Conor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, The Faint, Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Monsters of Folk, and Better Oblivion Community Center. Oberst was named the Best Songwriter of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.
Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 2001, they later moved to Omaha, Nebraska joining the Saddle Creek Records music scene, which also included Bright Eyes, The Faint, Cursive and more. The band toured extensively until a brief hiatus beginning in 2004 to pursue solo projects. Fink and Taylor reunited from 2008-2012 releasing two new albums, before disbanding again until their recent Los Angeles reunion show in 2018 and announcement of a new EP, Waves. Azure Ray's music has often been featured in film and television including, Six Feet Under, Grey's Anatomy, The Devil Wears Prada and more.
Team Love is an independent record label based in New Paltz, New York, founded by Conor Oberst and Nate Krenkel in 2003. It has released albums by musicians including Tilly and the Wall, Jenny Lewis, David Dondero, Craig Wedren, Capgun Coup, Gruff Rhys, A Weather, Mars Black, Shudder To Think, The Shortbus film soundtrack, McCarthy Trenching, El Madmo, Bright Eyes, Refried Ice Cream, Joker's Daughter (band), The Felice Brothers, Sea of Bees, InDreama, Simone Felice, Conor Oberst, Nik Freitas, Taylor Hollingsworth, Rig 1, Jason Boesel, Simon Joyner and Willy Mason.
The Good Life is an indie rock band on Saddle Creek records.
Tilly and the Wall is an indie pop group from Omaha, Nebraska. Their name originated from a children's book called Tillie and the Wall, written by Leo Lionni. They are particularly noted for having a tap dancer, Jamie Pressnall, instead of a drummer.
Michael Riley "Mike" Mogis is an American producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist who, along with his brother A.J. Mogis, founded Presto! Recording Studios. Mogis currently runs ARC in downtown Omaha.
Park Ave. was an indie pop band which started in January 1996 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Neely Jo Jenkins is a musician from Omaha, Nebraska best known for being a singer in the band Tilly and the Wall. She was also a member of the band Park Ave. with Tilly and the Wall bandmate Jamie Pressnall,. Previously, Jenkins sang "Contrast and Compare" and "Pull My Hair" with Bright Eyes on the album Letting Off the Happiness, and "Feb. 15th" on A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997.
Orenda Fink is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and half of the Dream pop duo Azure Ray. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Fink is also a member of O+S, Closeness, and has previously recorded or performed with Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Moby, Rilo Kiley Now It's Overhead and more. She is married to Todd Fink of The Faint, another Saddle Creek Records band.
Kianna Marie Alarid is the lead singer and co-writer of Yes You Are and singer and bass guitarist for the band Tilly and the Wall from Omaha, Nebraska. She was formerly in a band called Magic Kiss with members of Park Ave. and The Faint, and before that, a hardcore band called Project 356.
Steve Pedersen is an American guitarist from Omaha, Nebraska.
Gretta Cohn is a cellist who is best known for playing cello in the rock group Cursive from 2001-2005. She left the group in August 2005. Her departure was announced on the Cursive website in late August:
Cursive regrets to announce the departure of cellist Gretta Cohn. After four years in the band, Gretta has decided to leave Omaha to pursue other interests and projects, including a potential solo album. The split is very amicable: the band wishes her well and she in turn eagerly anticipates the new Cursive material to come. Cursive will not be seeking a replacement.
A.J. Mogis is a musician from North Platte, Nebraska. He currently plays bass guitar in the indie-rock band Criteria. His brother is Mike Mogis. Together they founded Presto! Recording Studios and have recorded almost all the albums released by Saddle Creek Records as well as friends'. They were also members of Lullaby for the Working Class. Criteria has so far released two albums.
Nathaniel Clifford "Nate" Walcott is an American musical composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. He has composed the scores for four feature-length films, including 2014's The Fault in Our Stars. He is a member of the band Bright Eyes, and has played in Conor Oberst's Mystic Valley Band and with singer/songwriter M. Ward. As of 2016, Walcott is a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers touring band as their backing pianist on their The Getaway World Tour.
Jiha Lee is the former keyboardist of the Good Life and has performed with Bright Eyes. Having left the Good Life after their second album, Black Out, she returned to record the track "Inmates" for Album of the Year. Her recordings with Bright Eyes include vocals and flute on tracks from Fevers and Mirrors, Lifted, and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. She also played the flute on the track "Hail To Whatever You Found in the Sunlight That Surrounds You" on the Rilo Kiley album The Execution of All Things.
Andy LeMaster is an American musician, songwriter, engineer, and producer from Athens, Georgia. His primary band in the 2000s was Now It's Overhead. LeMaster has engineered, produced, and contributed to many albums since he began recording in the late 90's, including many Saddle Creek releases by Bright Eyes, Now It's Overhead, Azure Ray, Maria Taylor, and Orenda Fink. He is co-owner of Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens with fellow producer/engineer/musician, David Barbe. He's been a frequent touring member of Bright Eyes since the late 90's, and has performed live as a band member with many other artists including Azure Ray, Fischerspooner, and Michael Stipe. LeMaster is also a talented visual artist, and has done all the covers for Now It's Overhead's records.
Ben Brodin is a musician, engineer and producer from Omaha, Nebraska. He is a member of several bands, including Mal Madrigal, McCarthy Trenching, Our Fox and The Mynabirds, and has performed both live and in the studio with artists such as Conor Oberst and First Aid Kit. Brodin is a multi-instrumentalist. He currently fronts the band Before the Toast and Tea and is a recording engineer at ARC Studios, formerly Presto! Recording Studios. Before the Toast and Tea's debut album, Methods Of The Mad, is carried by Saddle Creek Records webstore.
Something About Knowing is the fifth album by Maria Taylor, released on October 29, 2013 on Saddle Creek Records. The album finds Taylor returning to working with producer Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, recording a majority of the record in Omaha and three songs in her hometown of Birmingham. Other collaborations on this record include her brother, multi-instrumentalist Macey Taylor of Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band and Jenny Lewis, mixing by Andy Lemaster, and co-writing and recording two songs with Brad Armstrong of 13 Ghosts.
Louis Schefano is an American singer-songwriter, producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist originally from Birmingham, Alabama, United States. He has recorded under various monikers including Regia, Louis, and Suspicious Light. Schefano was also a founding member of Remy Zero and Little Red Rocket, and has performed, produced or recorded with Azure Ray, Maria Taylor, Verbena, Cheshires, Bright Eyes, The Ladybug Transistor, and Jaymay.
